BRIAR
Lucas left me in the Starlight Room, dress still up around my waist, shoes on the floor, hair mussed. He moved so quickly I barely saw him go.
“What have I done?” I asked the empty room.
I had almost given a vampire my body...twice now. And I loved every moment of it. I didn’t know how I was going to give him up and marry Nik. Not now that Lucas had explained so clearly how deep our connection ran. I couldn’t go back to my pre-Lucas life like nothing ever happened between us. Could I?
I adjusted my dress and reattached my garters, my fingers shaking slightly as I did. I wasn’t sure what to do next. But I knew I couldn't stay.
I stepped into my heels and walked to the door. Grabbing the cool handle, I pulled, but the large metal slab didn’t move. The damned thing was locked. Lucas had trapped me in here, just like a pet, like a problem he wanted to hide or keep. He didn't want me leaving. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.
The heavy door wouldn't give, even with my preternaturally enhanced strength. It must have been designed to withstand supernatural creatures. Why would Lucas need that here? Especially since there were only three walls. The front was open. I could jump down if I wanted. In fact...
I ran for the railing, ready to leap down into the crowd.
“I wouldn't do that.” Lucas' voice stopped me in my tracks. Turning my head, I saw him standing at the door that had been locked only moments ago.
“Why? I’m light on my feet.”
“I said this was the safest place in the club. It’s protected. Warded to keep the occupant inside and intruders out.”
“But it’s open.”
He strode toward me, but stopped at the champagne bucket and grabbed a handful of ice before throwing the cubes at the space. The ice shattered when it should have flown through and landed on the people below.
“So, you left me here, locked in this room with no way to know when you'd return.” He grinned and reached out, grabbing a tendril of my hair in between his fingers.
“So sensitive.” His eyes blazed with challenge. “Did you think you'd escape me, run back home, and pretend this never happened?”
“Honestly? I'm not sure. But I don't take being caged very well. I'm wild, not a captive.”
“No, you certainly aren't. But I'd hoped to have earned a modicum of trust from you after our...intimate moment. The police were here, threatening to shut the place down. I didn't want them to spot you.”
I scoffed. “Didn't you? Why would it matter?”
“Because there are hunters everywhere. They hide in plain sight, and a shifter pelt is as much a prize as a dead vampire.” He gripped my hands tight. “And an entire pack...”
A chill ran down my spine. “I see. I'm... I think I should get home. It's late, and my friend is probably worried about me.”
He cocked a brow. “Are you done with me, then? I didn't take you for the love them and leave them kind.”
He was teasing, but his voice held a hint of true worry. “I'm sure you've loved and left your fair share.”
“No. Never loved.”
My heart fluttered. “Thank you for tonight, Lucas, but...”
“It can never happen again.”
Nodding, I pulled my hands free of his hold. “You know why.”
“I do. But I don't know if I can stay away. Not after everything.”
“You have to. Not only is it against pack law for us to be together, but it’s also dangerous for us both. I could lose control and hurt you. You could do the same and drain me.”
“And a piano could fall on my head from a third-story apartment window. We're not without control, Briar. I have been a vampire, a card-carrying member of Club Fang, since I fully turned at eighteen. It's been over three hundred years since then. I think I know how to control myself.”
My brows lifted. “Wow. You are older than I expected.”
“I stopped aging when I turned thirty.”
“You’ve seen and done a lot, but you never fell in love?”
“Does that put you at ease or make you uncomfortable?”
“Both?”
“Good.” Strong hands slid around my waist. “And you? Have you ever fancied yourself in love?”
I swallowed past the fear in my chest. “Never.”
Lips turned up in a sensual smirk, he winked. “Then I suppose that makes us even.”
“I didn’t know it was a competition.”
He dipped his head until his mouth brushed my ear. “It’s not. There’s no contest you wouldn’t win. My heart was forfeit from the start.”
“You are a smooth talker, I’ll give you that. I’m sure it comes from being a vampire. Seduction is your game.”
Lips slid over my throat, and a shiver of anticipation rocketed through me. His fangs were extended. I could feel their sharp graze when he pressed a kiss to the pulse point on my neck. “Don’t,” I whispered.
He stopped, his entire body tensing. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t bite me. Don’t ruin this by reminding me why we can’t be together.”
Hands tightening on my sides, he took a long, slow breath before backing away. “Your blood is like nothing I’ve ever tasted.”
Terror twisted my belly. “When…when did you taste me?”
“Our first kiss in the woods.” His eyes were earnest as he stared at me. “It was just a drop when my fang nicked your tongue. But it was enough to tell me everything I needed to know.”
“And what was that?”
“That I won’t live for anyone other than you. That for the rest of my days, there will be no one that compares to you. That I found the one woman meant for me, and I can’t have her.”
Lucas stared across the crowd, his expression stoic and serious.
“What are you thinking about?”
“How we can make this work. What I can do to convince our families to accept this.”
“I don’t think we can. This has been forbidden since before either of us was born. At least, it has for my pack.”
A dark, bitter laugh left him as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “But why? What harm could come from our joining? We won’t destroy the vampires or shifters simply by being together. If anything, we can unify. With our families combining forces, we can work together to take down the hunters who threaten all of us. Yours by day, mine by night.”
The idea had merit, but it also made me nervous. I wasn’t under the assumption my parents would accept anything to do with the Blackthorne vampires and me. “It won’t work. Not after what happened at the party.”
“You mean the witches and their hex?”
I turned to face him, “You know what I mean. The witches had nothing to do with that. Our doctor found poison in his system.”
His expression didn’t reveal anything aside from mild interest. “Hm. It’s possible. My father is a tyrant. It’s the only way he’s kept his throne for so long.”
“So you see? This can never work.” I glanced down at the crowd, watching the men and women dance and drink, laughing and smiling together. Life seemed so simple for them, the humans. They didn’t know about vampires or witches or shifters. There was no High Council looming, or risk of losing everything to follow their hearts. But who was I to judge my plight against theirs? I didn’t know.
“Life is made of impossible choices, Briar. It doesn’t matter who or what you are. There is always a decision which will change the course of your future. Human or not.” My heart flipped at the reminder that these vampires could read my thoughts. I’d have to be more careful.
“Have you made decisions like that? Because I haven’t had to.”
He cupped my cheek, and those amber irises burned their way into my heart. “Yes. I chose you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Stella, standing near the bar, flirting shamelessly by the look of her. She was grinning at a tall man with dark hair and striking features.
“I need to go. I see my friend.”
Lucas trailed his thumb over my bottom lip but backed away and cleared his throat. “Of course. We can continue this later. In the woods, perhaps?”
I opened my mouth to protest. To tell him I’d already made myself clear, this couldn’t happen, but the words that came out were far different than what I should have held to. “Tomorrow night. There’s a clearing just past the pond. Meet me there at moonrise.”
He lifted my hand to his lips and placed a lingering kiss between my knuckles, just as he had at the ball. “Until then, my lovely wild wolf.”
This time when I tried the door, it opened with ease. I looked over my shoulder, unable to stop myself from taking one last glance at the vampire. He faced the crowd, his broad shoulders looking ominous and perfect in his suit jacket. But then he rested one hand on the railing and dropped his head. His limbs trembled, and the wood cracked from the force of his grip. As much as my body wanted him, I was reminded then and there how dangerous it would be to get into bed with a vampire. One question swirled in my mind. Would it be worth it?
LUCAS
I couldn’t take my eyes off Briar as she walked through the crowd in search of her friend. There was so much about her that called to me. Not simply her beauty, which was far and away more than I’d ever found in any woman, but her spark and fire, the way she challenged me but also looked at everything with a certain kind of innocence. She’d charmed me without even realizing it. That was why I’d let her go. I couldn’t simply club her over the head and claim her as I’d seen other vampires of my bloodline do. I had to woo her. Convince her this was her idea, not mine.
Her smile lit up the room the instant she found her friend, but mine slipped off my face when I realized who was standing next to them. Vampires. Two of them, and not members of the Blackthorne court.
Both of them smirked as she approached, and my hackles rose. I darted to the doorway and called out to my head of security, “Bring me the two vampires from the bar. Now.”
In moments, they walked inside the room, their expressions colored with annoyance. “Lucas, what is this about? We don’t owe you anything. We paid our entry fee, same as every time.”
“Those two are off the menu, Devin. I know your kind. You’ll kill them. You and your friend will have to pick yourselves some new donors tonight.”
Devin dragged a hand through his dark hair and sighed. “You’re claiming them now? I thought you were denying yourself human blood.”
“I was. I am. But you can’t have either of those two. And you are being reckless, leaving bodies in the street. This one seems new, but you should have taught him better.”
The dark-haired man frowned and balled his hands into fists. “The name’s Galen.” His accent betrayed his Irish roots, and the fury on his face did the same for his temper.
Devin sat and kicked his feet up onto the table in front of him, ignoring my scolding completely. “That blonde smelled like something different. Something…wild.” His southern drawl rumbled from low in his chest, vibrating throughout the room.
“She’s mine,” I growled. “Touch her, and I’ll stake you myself.”
Galen raised his palms in supplication. “Fine, fine. Fucking hell, we won’t touch them.”
I nodded. “Good. Bring your chosen donors to this room. You can have safety and privacy here tonight.”
Galen looked to Devin, then back at me. Devin raised a hand. “Go on, Galen. I’ve got something to discuss with Lucas. I’ll meet you down there.”
Galen left the room, and as soon as the door clicked shut, I trained my eyes on Devin. “What?”
“He’s having trouble…adjusting. It’s only been a few years since he lost his wife and children, since he was turned.”
“And you want me to help with that?”
“I think he’s got a Watcher hitching a ride inside him. Can’t be sure, but that’s what it looks like to me. They’re fighting for control.”
“What can I do about that?”
Devin dragged a hand through his long blond hair. “Your kind aren’t susceptible to the Fallen. Can you use some sort of compulsion to lock his Watcher away? Put it into a dormant state, or something? I tried, but my power isn’t strong enough. I don’t want my friend to end up destroyed, so this son-of-a-bitch Fallen angel can set up shop.”
I sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. Find me before you leave tonight.”
He clapped a hand on my shoulder and nodded. “Thank you, Lucas. You’re a friend. Good luck with your girl. Don’t let her slip through your fingers.”
“Believe me, I’m trying my damnedest not to.”
My head throbbed after an hour of working to contain the Watcher inhabiting Galen. I thought I’d been successful, but it was a rare occasion for our lines to intermingle. Our abilities were different, as were many of our limitations. As far as the Blackthornes were concerned, the Watchers were alien creatures who didn’t affect us or our choices. We liked it that way, and so did they. If my father knew I had built a friendship of sorts with Devin, he’d use that to somehow destroy him.
“What have you been up to, little brother?” Sorcha leaned against my door frame, a knowing grin on her lips.
“Nothing you’d care to know about.”
“Oh, really? You smell like vampires, and not our kind.”
“I ran into a couple of them.”
“And you decided to have a chat?”
“They had a problem. I was able to help.”
She scoffed. “Why on earth would you help them?”
“You know they don’t live the way we do. They prefer to be on their own, or rarely to exist in pairs. This was a situation their abilities wouldn’t work on.”
She let herself inside my room and poured a glass of blood-laced wine into a goblet. “Do tell.”
“Galen, the younger one, was given a Watcher when he was turned. It was fighting him for control. I compelled it to rest.”
She tipped her drink to her lips and continued listening.
“I was able to convince the angel to go dormant until his soulmate appeared.”
A loud laugh escaped her. “Oh, what a bunch of horse shit. Are angels really so naive to think their soulmates are waiting for them? Seems like a lot to give up for a half-baked promise.”
I strode to the window, the brightening sky making me antsy. “Are you quite finished with your interrogation? It’s been a long night, longer than I’d planned.”
“Of course. It’s only, well, I got sidetracked by your…scent. I came to tell you the High Council has sent word. They’re sending a representative to investigate the attack on Dumond. He’ll be here within the week.”
Apprehension grew in my belly. If what Briar said was true, my father—my family—was at risk of being punished. “What do you think they’ll do to the perpetrator?”
“I’m not sure. Father thinks it’ll be something as simple as a slap on the wrist. Cashel suspects it will go further than that.”
I stayed silent while the possibilities ran through my head. As far as I knew, none of us were privy to the details of my father’s plot, but I was growing more and more certain Briar was right. Father had, in some way, poisoned the pack alpha and made it look like the witches had done it. I just didn’t know who’d dealt the poison. Surely it hadn’t been direct from my father’s hand. He wouldn’t be so stupid as to implicate himself.
“How are things going with the little wolf princess?” Sorcha asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t disguise the defensiveness in my tone.
“You’ve met with her in the woods on Father’s orders. Has she let you trap her in your gaze yet? We could use her as the scapegoat for all of this if you can get her to admit she was the one who poisoned him. Nothing like an angry child. Poison is a woman’s murder weapon anyway. It would track.”
Anger boiled in my blood. Briar had nothing to do with the attack, and I wouldn’t entertain the idea of making her take the blame. “She’s strong. Her mind is resistant to my compulsion.”
Sorcha rolled her eyes. “I told Father to send Cashel for her instead. Your humanity is getting in the way…again.”
Possessive fervor swirled in my chest. “I can handle her. No one else gets to touch her. Is that understood?”
She laughed. “Oh, little brother, are you sweet on her? You’re acting like she’s your favorite toy, and I’ve tried to take her from you.”
“Why shouldn’t I have a toy? The rest of you do. Cashel has Eliana, you have Thomas…”
“I don’t have anyone,” Callie said from the doorway. Quiet as the dead, Callie could sneak in almost anywhere and surprise me. This was no exception.
“By choice. I’ve told you time and again, who you choose to be with is a secret kept safe in the Starlight Room.”
She shifted from foot to foot, not wanting to continue our talk about her desire for female company over male. Our father wanted her mated to a male of royal blood, someone to help her carry on our line. Callie wanted something very different—someone who’d been given to Cashel instead.
Her gaze softened when her focus landed on me. You know it will get out. Someone will tell him if I’m seen taking a woman into that room.
The resignation in her voice made my chest hurt. We’ll all protect you from him. You don’t have to live without.
A soft smile spread Callie’s lips. “You seem preoccupied of late, Lucas.”
“Aren’t we all? The High Council is breathing down our necks, we have shifters at our doorstep, and hunters are a constant threat. I’d say there’s plenty to concern ourselves with.”
“Yet you spent a considerable amount of your energy helping a Watcher vampire with his angel problem. Why? We leave them to their own kind.”
“They’re still vampires.”
“Yes, but they choose to be alone. The Watcher will take over, as always. It’s what these vampires were created for. It’s why they can’t breed with humans or each other. They are vessels.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “Sometimes I wonder if the other two Fallen who created our line and the Lahash line got it wrong. Maybe we shouldn’t have been allowed souls and lives separate from their rule. Perhaps Abbadon was the smart one all along to create vessels with no souls rather than give them something to fight for.”
“Bite your tongue. Lilith ensured we would be strong when she created us because no one controls us. We are powerful and rule masses. Abbadon’s Watcher vampires are slaves to their bloodlust, and if a Watcher inhabits their bodies, slaves to the angel.”
“But aren’t we slaves to our king? Slaves to the rules our line dictates? We’re all ruled by something.”
She snorted and cocked a hip. “When did you get so philosophical?”
“About the time you became so cynical.”
The sky had brightened to a dangerous pink during our talk, the coming dawn making my skin prickle with warning. “I’ll continue my work on the shifter. I swear it.”
Sorcha nodded. “Good. No more cavorting with Watchers in your gin joint, brother. We need you here.”
I feigned a wide yawn and stretched my arms above my head. “Time for bed. I’ve no doubt we’ll continue this conversation when I rise.”
Callie narrowed her eyes, offering me a quizzical expression. “No doubt.”
The two of them left as I drew the curtains and bid the day farewell. I enjoyed waiting until the last possible moment when the light crept close enough to burn me.
Room safely darkened, I locked my door and retreated to my bedroom, where I stripped out of the clothes I’d so desperately wanted to be rid of while I’d been with Briar. They smelled of her, of fresh air and pine. Just the thought of her brought my cockstand to the forefront once again.
I lay on my bed, nude under the sheets as thoughts of her ricocheted through my mind. The soft moans she’d let out, the smell of her desire, the feel of her hot, silken skin as I slid the crown of my cock along her folds. My hand went to my aching length, and I stroked myself in long, slow movements. Unable to stay quiet, I let out a guttural groan and quickly brought myself to climax with her name on my lips and her face in my memory.
I was going to do a lot more with Briar Dumond than compel her to turn against her family. I was going to make her love me.